What is your work-at-home job/business?
Writer
How many kids do you have? List their ages.
2, ages 4 and 2 months
How many hours a week do you work?
25-30
How Do You Work at Home Without Paid Childcare?
My older child is in preschool 12 hours a week. I work while he's at school and the baby is sleeping. When my son is not in school, he has quiet time every afternoon for an hour. Our doctor recommended he have this quiet time so it helped ease the guilty feeling that I was asking him to go to his room while I work. At night, when both children are asleep, I work another 2-3 hours a few days a week. Any time I think this schedule sounds odd, never really being in "off day" mode, I think about how I could be pulling a 9-5 with no flexibility!
How Do You Keep Kids Busy While You Work?
When my baby is awake, I don't work. Period. The time passes too quickly to have a baby grow up right beside you while you stare at the computer. When my older child is awake, though, there are times he just wants to play independently. He'll play educational games on the computer next to me, but we do limit his computer time. He'll also sit next to me and read books or color. I try to limit my time working while he's awake. So he'll start an activity by himself, I'll finish up my work and then join in with him to read the rest of a book or color together. I never want my kids to feel like they grew up looking at the side of my face because I was focused on a computer screen.
Tips and Tricks
- Stick to a schedule. If you work at home using the phone or computer and have the flexibility to set a start and end time for work, do it. Working from home sets up an easy trap that "I'll just pop on the computer for 5 minutes" to do this or that. Pretty soon, you're on and off the computer (or phone) working all day and cutting into the time with your kids.
- Let the kids play in the room with you. If you can concentrate on your work with your children in the same room, it's nice to all be together ... even if you are having to work. Plus, you don't have to wonder what the kids are up to in the other room!
